Monarch Butterflies

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Contributed by Susan Meyers
Monarchs Across Georgia

February 21-27, 2008

Dear Journey North Kids,
On February 21, 2008, a small group travelled to the Sierra Chincua colony, arriving in the early afternoon. To our surprise the Monarchs were located just a 20 minute walk from the ticket booth! Clusters were sighted in the beautiful old growth Oyamel forest but we chose to sit on a sunny knoll as the butterflies streamed downward to a new location. We were told by our guide that about 2/3 of the colony had already moved down the mountain two kilometers. This remaining 1/3 was expected to join them in one or two days. The elevation was 10,821 feet and the coordinates were N 19 degrees 40.067 minutes and W 100 degrees 17.280 minutes.

On February 26, 2008, a new group of 12 educators and enthusiasts visited El Rosario sanctuary. The colony was located at the same elevation and coordinates as the previous week but we noted some additional information. The Oyamels on which the Monarchs were roosting were as tall as 120 feet, but clusters were not seen above the height of 60 feet. Mating pairs, not observed at this location last week, were occasionaly spotted. As identified by our guide, butterflies were nectaring in sun-bathed patches of local wildflowers known as Memelilla, Hojancha, Maratonia. Just before leaving the colony about 5 PM, a cloud momentarily darkened the sky and we witnessed thousands of Monarchs taking flight, moving upward on the slope. The trees changed from green to gold-orange in front of our eyes! This is known as the "cloud effect." A member of our group, 4th grader Ajay, chose one word to describe his feeling after seeing the Monarch for the first time in Mexico - "Amazement!"
We were transported up and down the mountain by German Medina, the Journey North mailman of Angangueo. German proudly showed us symbolic Monarchs that he was preparing for their journey north via UPS!

On February 27, 2008 we travelled to Macheros at the base of Cerro Pelon to bring more books and school supplies to the students. We were touched by the generosity of the entire community when they surprised us with letters written by the students and a special lunch prepared by the parents. Following our visit with the students, we mounted horses and ascended the "bald mountain" (as Cerro Pelon means in Spanish). The colony was located at the same elevation and coordinates as the previous week. We noticed that the Monarchs were roosting on the few Oyamel trees in the area and were also utilizing pines and broadleaf trees. There were increased numbers of mating pairs observed this week as compared to last.

• Buenos dias from Loraine Brooks to the 5th grade at The Walker School in Marietta, Georgia.
• Muchas gracias to Ms. Westbrook´s 3rd grade class at Idlewood Elementary in Tucker, Georgia. The children at Macheros were excited to receive your donations, reports Nicole Ouellette.
• Greetings to the awesome High Meadows School students and wonderful staff in Roswell, Georgia. A few comments from your teacher, Chris Robie...."I can't wait to tell you all about my trip. Thank you to Monarchs Across Georgia for making this possible. People hug and cry when they reach the colony after hiking up 407 steps and a dusty mile trail, as though they have journeyed from a far land to pay homage to this miracle. How do you describe the sound of wingbeats of 1000s of Monarch butterflies? Soft rain, falling snow... how do you describe a miracle? Monarchs hanging in the form of a large paper wasp nest from the Oyamel fir tree; only glittering orange and black. Not wanting to leave, we stayed 15 minutes longer than the rest of our group. To our delight we saw what is called the "cloud effect" as the Monarchs burst in to the sky like a gentle fireworks display. Please plant milkweed for these Monarchs' offspring!"

Susan Meyers at Cerro Pelon